Tips for Running Your First 100-Mile Ultramarathon

Trail runner in a race vest celebrating mid-race on a fall trail

  1. Make peace with the distance and fully commit to it.
  2. Train as well as you can and then shake all self doubt (it’s all training anyway).
  3. Anchor your performance to something bigger than the race (it’s always more than a race).
  4. Prepare for the darkness, especially the darkness you don’t expect to arise (is it really darkness if you’re prepared for it?).
  5. Focus on the essentials (it’s almost always mental).
  6. Take care of yourself especially on race week (again, it’s more than a race and race week is a metaphor).
  7. Visualize and write down your ideal outcome.
  8. Worry about only what’s within your control.
  9. Be careful who you surround yourself with (you rise and fall with their standards).
  10. Embrace all pain (it’s only suffering when you identify with the pain).
  11. Be a good person (everyone is running their own race and your race is no more important than theirs).
  12. Stay out of the chair and don’t stop until you get what you came for.
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